We had a fantastic time catching up with our good friend Trenton Berry from RacingDirt on the morning show today. “T-Bear” always brings the best insights, whether we are talking about local short tracks right here in the Ozarks or what is happening on the national NASCAR circuit. From his early days learning the ropes of broadcast journalism to running a full-scale racing media company, Trenton has seen the landscape evolve completely.

Pioneering the Digital Racing Space

We threw it back to Trenton’s early career breakout in Kansas City working for The Racing Boys, where he got a masterclass in major motorsports media. Long before everyone had a smartphone in their hand, Trenton was learning how to shoot video, work the pits, and run equipment. In fact, his team was on the absolute cutting edge, streaming live studio content back in 2009. He credits his time at Missouri State University for teaching him how to shoot and edit, but it was a chat with a colleague at Kauffman Stadium about being “recession-proof” that drove him to learn every single aspect of the business. Today, he and his business partner, Stick, are still pulling sweat equity—lugging totes up grandstands and keeping their operations completely hands-on.

The Physical Toll of Driving & Wild Rides

We had to dive into Denny Hamlin’s recent third-straight win at Pocono and his announced plan to retire after next season at age 45. Trenton gave us the breakdown on why drivers fall off: it all comes down to reaction time. When you are 25, you see a hole open on the track and hit it instantly; as a veteran, that processing time slows down just enough to miss it. To prove how intense it really is behind the wheel, Trenton shared a hilarious story of taking 15 laps around Lucas Oil Speedway in a 750-horsepower two-seater with local racing legend Rex Merritt. Our own Ned Reynolds chimed in with his own terrifying memory of riding along with Tony Stewart years ago at KY3—proving that racing drivers operate on an entirely different level.

Weather Woes and San Diego Street Course Predictions

The local racing scene has taken a massive hit from Mother Nature recently. Trenton noted that his area has been absolutely pounded with over 20 inches of rain in the last few weeks, causing him to lose nine races between the Heartland Modified Tour and the Heartland Late Model Tour. To escape the mud, he is heading out to Dodge City, Kansas this weekend, crossing his fingers that their current drought holds out just long enough to get two days of late-model racing in the books.

Finally, we looked ahead to NASCAR’s unique upcoming stop: the Coronado San Diego street course built right around a naval base. Trenton shared that over 3,000 people had to apply for federal clearance just for the pre-event setup. When it comes to racing on the 3.4-mile, 16-turn course, Trenton’s money is firmly on road-race master Shane van Gisbergen (97) to dominate the field.